Page 3 of A Reign of Malice
I nod and offer a polite smile. “I’ll let my other advisors know and see what they think.”
“Good,” he replies, his smile growing wider. There’s something unsettling about it, as though I’ve just handed him exactly what he wanted. “I’ll send carriages across the bridge to help your people begin moving,” he adds as if it’s already been decided. His tone is deceptively light, but the words slam into me with the force of a final blow.
My stomach churns. I want to be furious, but I also know my people need security.
I glance at Clara, using our pack connection to speak privately.“What do I do?”
“Let him send the carriages,”she says firmly.“The people decide for themselves. We’ll make sure they know you’re doing the best you can, and this option is for them to accept or not.”
Gods, is this really happening?
Is my kingdom really going to be deserted already?
I’m not ready to admit defeat—not yet. But it’s impossible to ignore the truth: I’m out of options. The reserve water supply we painstakingly saved for emergencies like this will barely last the pack a week. I could go home, try to rally, to find some miracle solution. But deep down, I know it’d be a waste of time. If there were still other avenues to pursue, I wouldn’t be standing in the Venaris castle, wouldn’t have left Alcaris in the first place.
Clara and I exchange another look. She might’ve spoken with confidence, but the agony in her eyes mirrors my own.
“I’m going to have to sign the treaty.”
She nods ever so subtly.“I know.”
But knowing and accepting are two very different things. And I’m not ready to tell Aeson yet. Not until I’m absolutely certain this is the best path forward. A voice in the back of my mind, faint but persistent, keeps whispering alternatives—spreading my pack out across the other islands, seeking aid from allies like Isla and Estee. But those options come withtheir own sacrifices. By choosing Aeson, I can remain queen. I can still lead them. Anything else would strip me of my alpha power, and while I’ll endure anything to save my people, thatjustmight be worse than death.
“It will be okay,”Clara says, though I’m not sure if it’s for my sake or hers.“We’re going to figure this out. This is why we’re here.”
Definitely hers.
Aeson and Dasha quickly leave the room, presumably to go ‘save the day.’ Their absence gives me the moment I need to steady myself.
I step forward, holding Clara’s shoulders tightly. My voice comes out firmer than I feel. “Thisiswhy we’re here.”
Clara’s breath stutters. For a moment, she closes her eyes. When they open again, the strength I’ve always relied on shines through once more, steady and unwavering in the depths of her green gaze. “You’re right. I just needed a moment to remember.”
I smirk. “It’s nice to see you not so composed, even if it only lasted a couple of seconds.”
She rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch into the smallest of smiles. “Says you.” She pulls away, shaking off the moment with a flick of her blonde hair. “What now?”
“Now we call Easton back,” I say, the words bitter on my tongue. My hands fall to my sides, my fingers curling into fists. “Make sure he and the other advisors have already begun enacting the emergency plans. And…” I hesitate, hating what I’m about to say. “Make sure the pack is prepared for what’s coming. They might need time to decide and everyone should know they don’t need to leave today if they don’t choose to.”
Clara nods, her respect evident in the quiet determination that returns to her stance. “Of course.”
We leave the dining room, the remains of our untouched breakfast sitting cold behind us. As we walk, the gravity of it all presses down on me. Every step feels heavier, every breath harder to draw. But there’s no room for weakness now.
The moment I close the door to my room behind us, I square my shoulders and lift my chin.
It’s time to be a queen again.
The sky isan endless stretch of black velvet, dotted with faint stars, and a chill wraps around me like a second skin. I shiver, but it isn’t from the cold. It’s something deeper, something I can’t name.
Aeson emerges from the darkness, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that burns straight through me. Those piercing azure eyes see only me, and the way they light up the shadows leaves me breathless. His light brown hair is longer than usual, falling across his forehead, and his powerful frame moves with purpose. Each step sends a ripple of anticipation coursing through my veins.
He’s bare-chested, the moonlight carving shadows into the sharp angles of his muscles. His shoulders are taut, tension coiled in every fiber of his body. I can feel it—his need, his desire. It pulls at something primal inside me, something I can’t resist.
“Mate.” The word falls from his lips, deep and possessive, and it unravels me completely.
A moan escapes my throat before I can stop it.
Gods, I want this man.
